The Marriages (Compulsory Registration and Prevention of Wasteful Expenditure) Bill, 2016, was introduced by Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan wife of MP Pappu Yadav on 15th Feb , 2017. It may be taken up as a private member’s Bill in the upcoming Lok Sabha session.

The Bill in the Lok Sabha seeks to put a limit on the number of guests to be invited and dishes to be served in weddings to check “show of wealth” and wants those spending above Rs 5 lakh to contribute towards marriages of poor girls.Families that spend more than Rs 5 lakh on the ceremony must contribute 10% of the amount to a welfare fund, the proposed legislation says

The purpose of this Bill is to prohibit extravagant and wasteful expenditure on marriages and to enforce simpler solemnisation of marriage in India.“But unfortunately, these days a tendency of celebrating marriwastages with pomp and show and spending lavishly growing in the country. These days, marriages are more about showing off your wealth and as a result, poor families are under tremendous social pressure to spend more. This is needed to be checked as it is not good for society at large,” she said.

It says that after this proposed legislation comes into force, all marriages shall be registered within 60 days of the solemnisation. The government may fix the limit of guests and relatives and number of dishes to be served to the guests and relatives for solemnisation of marriage or for the reception held thereafter as it may deem necessary or expedient to prevent the wastage of food items, it adds.